Ryanair to Offer Transatlantic Flights in Five Years

Ryanair has announced it will offer transportation between Europe and the United States within the next five years. Ryanair, the Irish-based budget airline first told it plans about transcontinental flights back in 2008. The Irish airline said its board of executives have approved transatlantic flights as a part of it plans to grow into a role as major player in the industry, but noted it will take around five years to become official.

Executives from Ryanair stated they are currently speaking with airplane manufactures about funding the process to build long-haul aircraft. No further comments or information was made available in regards to which manufacturers it will use or how many planes they will build. A spokesman for the company said Europeans have showed they want a lower cost ride to the U.S., and the same from the U.S. to continental Europe.

The airline will offer budget flights between 12 to 14 cities in Europe, and a number of metropolitan areas in the U.S. As of now, the main transatlantic routes are dominated by the long-running companies, with American Airlines and British Airways. Ryanair hopes to capture some of the market share by lowering the expensive cost it takes to travel across the Atlantic Ocean.